Black Coffee and Dark Chocolate Biscott
by StarofJems
Summary: When help comes from an unexpected immortal, Sophie tries to make him feel appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Black Coffee and Dark Chocolate Biscott  
Rating: G  
Summary: When help comes from an unexpected immortal, Sophie tries to make him feel appreciated.  
Inspired by xcgirl08's art: (xcgirl08).(tumblr) dot com /post/37884309553/

A spray of sand covered Cupcake's book, announcing the arrival of two gangly boys from her class. She sighed and tried to shake the sand out from between the pages as she asked, "Can I help you?"

"What kind of name is Cupcake?" One of the boys, Tyler, taunted as he kicked more sand in her direction. "What are you, two?"

His friend Sean found that hysterical and burst into an ugly laughter. Cupcake rolled her eyes and brushed herself off as she stood. The first day of school was always a pain.

"Where do you think you're going?" The boys blocked her path from underneath the playground fort. "You don't have any friends to hide behind! Looks like the ugly loser got ditched this year!"

Their laughter made Cupcake grind her teeth together. It would be so easy to shove them out of her way, to just push them down and be free. But she knew it was more trouble than it was worth. They would tell on her to the teachers, she would get in trouble. Her reputation would once again go down as the big bully girl. So she clenched her book and asked through clenched teeth, "Can you please move?"

"No! What are you gonna do about it, ugly? You don't have any friends to run off to!"

Cupcake forced herself to take a deep, even breath like Pippa taught her to do. She just had to stay calm and not let them get to her. "My friends are in a different class and are scheduled for a later recess time. Satisfied? Now let me through."

"I bet they requested to have a class without you!" The boys laughed again and Cupcake started to consider just punching them when a shrill yell came from behind them.

"Cupcake!" A tiny little blonde ran between the boys and leaped on Cupcake, forcing her to drop her book to catch the girl. Sophie shook her hair out of her face and hugged her friend. "We have the same recess Cupcake! Isn't that awesome! Jamie has a different one, but I have you so it's okay!"

Sophie dropped to the ground to stare at the baffled bullies. She crossed her arms and took on the sternest glare she could muster. "Are you bothering my friend?"

Momentary shock over, the boys laughed and stared down the little girl. "Really? Need a kindergartener to stick up for you? That's pathetic! How about you let the big kids do big kid stuff, mop hair?"

"Hey that's uncalled for!" Cupcake protested, pushing Sophie behind her and away from the boys. She did not trust them to leave her alone, no matter how young she was. "Leave her out of this. Actually, how about you just leave and find something better to do with your time?"

"Leave her out of this?" Tyler smirked. "She's the one who ran in the middle of this." He took a threatening step forward, causing Cupcake to immediately retreat with Sophie. "If she can't handle some rough play, she shouldn't try to hang out with the big kids."

"I'm _fine, _Cupcake!" Sophie smiled and stepped out from behind her friend. Before Cupcake could stop her, the girl walked up right in front of the boys. "So how do big kids play, huh?"

"Like this!" Sean moved, ready to shove Sophie to the ground, but her high pitched whine filled their ears first. He froze at the sight of tears bubbling in her eyes and her whine started to become more of a screech.

"H-hey what are you doing kid, I didn't even touch you!" He looked around nervously to see if any teachers were nearby.

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Don't think you can scare us away by trying to get us in trouble. Someone needs to teach you how the playground really works."

"Sophie…" Cupcake warned, reaching out to pull the girl back to her. But Sophie would have none of that. She shook Cupcake off and crossed her arms to glare up at Tyler.

"Really wanna risk that? Who are they going to believe? The crying girl or the two big fifth grade boys?"

He was not convinced and was ready to push her over, but his smug smirk fell suddenly without reason. Clouds hid the sun, covering the playground in an unnaturally dark shade. Tyler's eyes darted between Sophie and the shadows, and started to back up. Sean looked at him incredulously and was about to question his friend, when a sudden change of heart hit him as well.

"Whatever, you win this time, Cupcake." Tyler said, still backing away. "Don't think you can hide behind a crying kindergartener all year!"

Cupcake could only laugh. "You're the ones running away from her! Good luck being kings of the playground now!" The boys were already running away, though, and did not spare a pause to yell back.

"Jeez since when have you been so terrifying?" Cupcake asked, sitting down again in the sand.

Sophie stared at the ground as the sun came out from the clouds once more and the shadows disappeared. "No idea… Good thing I am though! Those boys were scary! Why were they bothering you!?"

"Because they were bullies, but forget that. Tell me about your first day of school so far!"

The ordeal immediately forgotten, Sophie flopped down next to Cupcake and burst into the story of her day so far.

* * *

The golden glow of Sandy's dream dust had yet to fill the night sky when Sophie tiptoed into her dark room, balancing a tray on one hand as she closed the door. Her nightlight allowed her to navigate through her scattered toys to her bed. She set the tray on the ground, almost beneath her bed, and leaped on her bed.

"So Jack says you hide under beds…" Sophie giggled nervously and peeked over the side to stare at her offering. "So, I hope you're under my bed tonight! Because I wanted to say thank you!"

Silence was the only response. Frowning, Sophie glanced at her nightlight. He had gotten rid of the sun to come out earlier, so he probably would not come out with her nightlight on. She took a deep breath for courage and quickly unplugged the light before the changed her mind. While her eyes adjusted to the pale moonlight, Sophie settled down lying sideways across her bed to have the perfect view of the black coffee and dark chocolate biscotti.

"I was really confused at first, you know," she resumed talking to the darkness. "Because those boys had no reason to run off! There were no teachers any where near and even my lungs are that loud! So I knew someone had to have helped out! But it's September and there wasn't any ice so Jack couldn't have helped! And Bunny would have had some tunnels! And Sandy would have put them to sleep! And Tooth is way too busy to be keeping an eye on me! North too! Besides! None of them would have been able to make those bullies scared of me!

So I really had to think about it and I kept thinking about how it randomly got really dark when they ran away! I don't remember much about you, but Jamie and Jack have told me stories about fighting you. They make you out to sound like a real meany face, but you're a real softy aren't ya?"

Just the muffled sound of the crickets outside her window kept the room from silence. Sophie pouted and peeked further over the edge to look under her bed. It was black, just black. She was not even sure if he was there, but she felt like she had to explain herself.

"We thank Santa for our presents by giving him milk and cookies. You don't sound like a milk and cookies kind of guy, so I thought gross stuff would be good! Well not gross gross. Just gross stuff I don't like. And it's all dark stuff, so you have'ta like it! So, this is my thank you for saving my butt earlier!"

Sophie smiled and strained to see some sign of someone under her bed. She took hope in how dark it was underneath her bed, especially since at least some moonlight should be able to get under there. "Thank you Mr. Boogey Man!"

When the golden dream sands entered Sophie's room, she had yet to move from her sigil over the edge of her bed. Even as her eyelids drooped and she almost slid off onto the ground, she refused to give up. She desperately wanted to make sure the Boogey Man got her present and knew why she was giving him stuff!

But no child could resist the lulls of Sandy's golden dreams for long. As Sophie fell into the dreamlands, the shadows under her bed shifted and warped, slowly reaching out from under her bed toward the tray of food…

Sophie awoke in the morning tucked in with her head on her pillow. She gasped and leaped up to look at her tray. All the food was gone and neatly sitting on the plate was a scrap of paper with an elegantly written, 'Thank you.' Smiling bright as can be, Sophie dropped to the floor and stared under her bed. "You're welcome Mr. Boogey Man! Come back any time!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Dedicated to my fab pitchest-black_

* * *

Darkness. It was his world, his domain, his home. Darkness was solitude, silence, serene. There was something perfect about darkness. It hid the blemishes of the world. Encased in black everything was the same: dark. The King of Nightmares had never hated his shadowed world. To some, it would be a prison. To him, it was freedom.

Shadows covered the entirety of the globe. His presence extended to every shaded nook and cranny of the world. From under beds and behind closed closet doors, Pitch watched and waited. Since his defeat at the Guardians' hands, his power had diminished greatly. Plagued by his own fears, he had not strayed into the shadows of the world for a time.

However, nightmares could not dominate their master for long. Pitch regained control, brought an end to his endless terrors. Fear could not control its king. Fear was his to manipulate and inflict on others.

He detested remembering those long hours surrounded by his weakest thoughts, buried insecurities. Time had no meaning; he had no meaning during those endless nights. How long he spent trying to find himself, he was unsure. If he would have ever been able to escape from his own nightmare without the Frost boy, Pitch would never acknowledge.

But it had been thanks to that horrid guardian that Pitch found some footing in his abyss. Snow found a way through the cracks and crevices of his underground lair. The cold brought change to the circular thoughts that incapacitated the Nightmare King. Frost had survived, succeeded even, in his job for centuries without a single believer to his name. If a lost winter spirit could thrive without being seen, it would a disgrace if Pitch Black could not do the same.

The shadows across the globe welcomed their old friend back that night. He was weak from his time closed upon himself, so Pitch dared not extend his presence further than mere observations. But oh there was no doubt the dark king was back. Humans were ignorant to the shifts in magical balance, but even the lowest of creatures knew the dark was no longer uninhabited.

And so from the shadows, Pitch watched the world once more. As long as he did not enter the Sandman's domain, Pitch was untraceable. So he refrained from preying upon children's fear with his nightmares until his strength returned. While not as potent, fear was still present in the waking world and from that fear Pitch picked up the pieces of his failure.

It had been reckless, trying to defeat the Guardians in a full frontal attack. He had been set up for defeat. But they could never be rid of him. The world needed fear. The Guardians needed fear. Why would those fools need to guard their precious children's hope, dreams, or wonder without the threat of fear? Yes, he was needed. In that, Pitch found solace.

Through the years, Pitch slowly rose to his former seat of power. He ventured back to the dream world, poisoning the Sandman's work infrequently enough to avoid quarrel. It did not tire him to spread his consciousness across the globe. Every dark corner of the world had a piece of his awareness; nothing escaped his notice. And if he happened to pay special attention to the little town favored by a certain Guardian of Fun, who was to know?

Frost's favorites were infuriatingly brave. Their friends were easier prey, but Pitch did not pay them the same special attention. They were a challenge, a rainy day project whenever he was bored. He enjoyed heightening their nerves, for it was not often the children were truly scared. Occasionally, he would succeed in scaring the boy from going through with certain things. The boy was older, more experienced and knew more of the world to allow fear in his reasoning. The girl was more difficult. Pitch had yet to figure out how her mind worked, but she was very adept at ignoring even instinctual fears. When her heart rate picked up, it always piqued his immediate interest.

The darkness brought Pitch's awareness to a playground full of children. Wonderful. He observed from under the trees, beneath the playsets, below the pavilions; everything was within his sight. The girl stood, alone, with her tiny fists clenched at her sides. What could possibly be causing her to grow nervous? Pitch followed her gaze to a trio of older children. He recognized the burly girl and understanding dawned. Children were the cruelest.

Pitch chuckled as he focused his attention through the shade cast by the playground fort. Burly girl was full of anger, not a touch of fear in her. Oh how that was about to change. The girl took a deep breath and ignored her fluttering heart as she took off in a sprint between the bullies. How noble, but what would she do now that she was cornered with her friend?

Fear filled burly girl, just as predicted. Yes, she recognized the potential danger the girl was in. Bullies could be rough and reckless, often unknowing of their own strength against little girls. The girl seemed to understand her situation, at least from the nerves Pitch picked up from her.

Outwardly, the girl was oblivious and bold. Stupid. Pitch scowled, reaching out to her as the burly girl pushed her into the shade. He coaxed the butterflies in her stomach to tighten; encouraged the jittery apprehension to become heart-wrenching fear. His efforts went for naught as the girl stepped out of his dark domain to face the bullies once more. Her palms were sweating, blood was pounding in her ears, and yet she held strong to her brave front. As always, the girl stubbornly ignored her body's cue to get _scared_.

The girl broke into a horrid whine, causing one bully to cease his attempt to shove her to the ground. Her crying farce was enough to cause him to worry. His friend was less convinced, calling the girl on her bluff. And of course the girl stood strong and glared up at the boy.

"Really wanna risk that? Who are they going to believe? The crying girl or the two big fifth grade boys?"

Enough was enough. Pitch scowled as he pushed his shadows forward, clouds above following to explain the darkness. He could not break through to the girl, but he could at least gain some fear from these bullies. It was far too easy to get under the bully's skin. Pitch grasped his stomach, made it tight as fearsome thoughts traveled into the bully's mind. The other bully had gotten over his initial worry, but Pitch was quick to fill him with apprehension as well. The bullies went running and Pitch retreated to the natural shadows.

He may have not been able to scare the girl, but it had not been a completely pointless endeavor. Pitch chuckled as he returned to his lair, the cold stench of fear from the bullies putting him in a jovial mood.

Perhaps it was his good mood that allowed him to grow curious when he detected the girl addressing _him_ and his domain under her bed. He gathered beneath her bed, not wanting to spread himself elsewhere in her room lest he give his presence away. Set nearly beneath her bed was a tray of what smelled like coffee and some chocolate biscuit. The girl was offering her thanks.

The rush of emotions was overwhelming. He was angry. How dare this girl presume _the Boogey Man_ would ever help her, requiring the need for thanks? He was confused. What was she thanking him for? He was… feeling some indescribable emotion. It was almost painful, the way his heart felt too tight in his chest. It was this strange emotion that kept Pitch in place to listen to the rest of what the girl had to say.

Light disappeared as the girl unplugged her nightlight. Only the moonlight filled her room. What was she trying to accomplish? The girl stared at her offering in silence for moment, then continued talking.

"I was really confused at first, you know! Because those boys had no reason to run off! There were no teachers any where near and even my lungs are that loud! So I knew someone had to have helped me out! But it's September and there wasn't any ice so Jack couldn't have helped! And Bunny would have had some tunnels! And Sandy would have put them to sleep! And Tooth is way too busy to be keeping an eye on me! North too!"

The girl's sense of self importance was staggering. Did the Guardians really pay her and the boy so much attention? It was disgusting.

"Besides! None of them would have been able to make those bullies scared of me! So I really had to think about it and I kept thinking about how it randomly got really dark when they ran away!"

Good job Pitch. He internally groaned at himself. Was he honestly so sloppy a child was able to figure out his presence?

"I don't remember much about you, but Jamie and Jack have told me stories about fighting you. They make you out to sound like a real meany face, but you're a real softy, aren't ya?"

Soft? King of Nightmares _soft_? Pitch had to restrain himself from scaring the girl like she could never imagine. But he did restrain himself. The girl already thought too highly of herself with the Guardians as friends. Last thing this brat needed was confirmation that the Boogey Man was also at her beck and call.

"We thank Santa for our presents by giving him milk and cookies. You don't sound like a milk and cookies kind of guy, so I thought gross stuff would be good! Well not gross gross. Just gross stuff I don't like. And it's all dark stuff, so you have'ta like it! So, this is my thank you for saving my butt earlier!"

He had done no such thing! The gall of this child. His actions had been for his own gain and his own gain only. The girl was delusional to believe he would ever _save_ her.

The girl's hair dangled over the side of her bed as she strained to see him beneath her bed. Of course she only saw black, but she still chirped, "Thank you Mr. Boogey Man!"

Pitch remained under her bed, seething with anger and struggling to understand the persistent unknown emotion. He waited for the girl to fall asleep under the beckoning glow of the Sandman's dreams. Why he waited, Pitch was unsure. There was no one to explain himself too, and yet he felt the need to have an excuse even if it was only for himself. It was all to send her a nightmare, he thought. He needed to teach her how unbelievably wrong she was.

The girl's soft, even breath of slumber replaced her excited breaths of anticipation. Pitch removed himself from underneath her bed, materializing at the side of her bed. Nightmares, sweet glorious nightmares would plague the girl tonight. Consequences be damned, Pitch was going to find extreme pleasure in watching the girl squirm and cry out in pure terror. He took a step forward, only to freeze as his foot collided with the tray of food on the floor.

Frozen in place, Pitch watched the girl for signs her sleep had been disturbed. She continued to drool on her bed sheets, sprawled the wrong direction across her bed. Pitch glanced down at the offering she had laid out for him. The strange emotion pushed his anger away, making room for a mild curiosity. He crouched down to cautiously pick up with the tips of his fingers one of the biscotti. With a dainty nibble, Pitch was surprised to find the offending sweetness... not so sweet. The dark chocolate was almost bitter and quite good.

Before he could decide on his next course of action, the golden glow of dream sand grew brighter. Pitch cursed and stood upright, a scowl firmly in place as the shining Guardian of Dreams entered the girl's room. "Sanderson," Pitch drawled.

The tiny man's eyes grew wide and he quickly shook his head, finger to his pursed lips as a golden arrow formed above his head, pointing at the girl.

Pitch just rolled his eyes and kicked the edge of the girl's bed. She barely stirred. "I believe I do not have to worry about waking the girl. She remains oblivious of the terrors night can bring."

Sanderson glared, sand whips materialized in his hands as he created a question mark.

"No, I am not here to fight, Sanderson." Pitch held his hands up in a show of being unarmed, but had forgotten he still held the biscotti. Sanderson's whips disappeared and his eyes zeroed in on the treat, a small smile tugging at his lips. Damn it all. Pitch quickly moved his hands behind his back, hiding the offering. "I will take my leave, now."

A giant golden hand blocked his retreat underneath the girl's bed. Sanderson floated over the bed to examine the tray of food, his smile only growing larger. The sand above his head played out the girl leaving the food for Pitch, then a question mark.

"The girl is delusional," he replied with a shrug, hands still hiding behind his back. "I was merely curious. I will be out of your way now, I have no quarrel-"

The giant hand appeared in his face, then reached behind his back to snatch the biscotti. It pointed at the small bite Pitch had taken.

Pitch rolled his eyes. "Yes I tried the disgusting sweet. It is not to my tastes. Is there anything else you want explained?"

Grinning like a fool, Sanderson crossed the girl's room to retrieve a notebook and pencil from her backpack. His sand spelled out 'Thank you' as he shoved the item at Pitch.

This was tedious, but if he avoided starting conflict with this menial task, so be it. Pitch snatched the notepad, quickly scribbled his thanks, and tore the page out to drop on the tray. "Pleased?"

Sanderson nodded with the biggest shit-eating grin. He dropped the nibbled biscotti in Pitch's hand and floated toward the window.

"You won't speak of this to anyone?" Pitch growled through clenched teeth. Oh how he wanted to punch that smile of the little man's face.

The shrug Sanderson replied with was as if to say, 'Speak? However would I do that?' Silently laughing, the Guardian returned to the night sky and his duties.

Pitch scowled, taking a large bite out of the biscotti in hand in his frustration. He paused mid chew as he realized what he had just done. What was wrong with him? That obnoxious strange feeling grabbed his chest once more as he glanced at the girl. Stupid child was going to wake up sore if she slept like that.

Eating the rest of the biscotti in hand, Pitch set the girl's notebook on her bedside stand. Careful as to not wake the girl, Pitch pulled her covers back and nestled her at the pillows. Sanderson was not around to taunt him, so Pitch even tucked the covers around her. As he turned to leave, the sparkling pink name on the cover of the notebook caught his eyes.

"Consider yourself lucky," Pitch spoke to her peacefully sleeping form. The dream playing above her head looked much too like him having tea with her. Ridiculous. "Your offering has placated the Nightmare King. May your dreams not be too sweet… Sophie."

He melted into the shadows once more.

And if he happened to return several minutes later to drink the coffee and bring the rest of the biscotti home with him, none would be the wiser except for little Sophie.

* * *

So you all should be expecting random oneshot/drabbles from me on this if you continue to follow!


	3. Chapter 3

_Once again my dear pitchest-black gets dedication for this, since I originally wrote it for her. Continue being my Pitch muse, dear_

* * *

Man she was really high up! Sophie giggled and pulled herself up to a higher branch. Maybe if she got to the top of the tree, she would be able to see her house!

On the ground, one of her friends screamed for her to come back down. The rest of the small group clamored in agreement. What a bunch of weanies. Earlier, one of the boys in her class dared her to climb the tallest tree on the playground. There were few trees the kids could climb at recess, but only the fifth graders or the rare brave fourth grader tried to tackle the tallest tree at the edge of the field. No one had ever made it to the top of the tree before chickening out.

When sharing a story about the one time took Jack took her and Jamie up a tree that had to be at least a hundred feet tall, and then stupid Kevin Hare said bullcrap! He said there was no way a girl could climb a tree that high without crying! She said he was dumb, so he dared her to climb to the top of the tree. There was no way Sophie Bennett would ever back down from such an easy dare.

She had to jump to grab the next branch. Her friends gasped, some screamed, but she could only laugh. It was like they had never climbed a tree before. Of course, not everyone's big brother was best friends with a flying guardian of fun, but still.

"I-I believe you now!" Kevin yelled up to her. Her friends probably coerced him into saying that. They seriously did not know how to have fun.

"But I'm almost to the top!" Sophie cheered back.

Another one of her friends screamed back, "Sophie you're going to get hurt! Kevin takes back his dare! Get down or-or- or we're getting a teacher!"

"Oh come on you guys, I'm fine." And really, she was. Sure her heart was racing and she could barely hear her friends over the pounding in her ears, but it was fun. Any normal kid would be scared out of their wits. Sophie's stomach did flips and it only encouraged her. What was the point of being scared when there was fun to have?

The next branch up was just out of reach. Sophie frowned, reaching her hand out on her toes, fingertips just barely brushing the bark. Where was Jack when she needed him? This would have been so much easier if she had him to lift her up.

She hugged the trunk, struggling to find keep her grip with her feet as she pulled herself closer to the higher limb. Just as she grabbed the branch, her foot slipped. Sophie shrieked, scrambling to keep her hold and pull herself up, but her grip was not strong enough. She dropped, but managed to fall on the branch below, but that only deterred her descent for a moment. Her foot landed on the edge, and it slipped out from beneath her before she could take a breather.

Her friends screamed even louder than she did as she toppled off her perch. Smaller branches scratched her flailing limbs as she fell, slowing her fall for her to gather her senses enough to latch onto another branch before she hit the ground. Her stomach landed on the branch, pushing the air out of her lungs. Black dots filled her vision for a moment, but her ears hurt more than anything from her friends' frantic screaming.

"Guys," Sophie wheezed, her soft protest unheard. She groaned and glanced down to make sure she was not too high up, then rolled off the branch to the ground. Staring at the sky in a daze, Sophie lay sprawled out in the grass with a dopey grin as her friends bombarded her with questions. "I'm fine! I'm fine! That was crazy! I gotta try again tomorrow!"

"You most certainly will not Sophie Bennett!"

Sophie sat up too fast and flinched, both from her spinning head and the sight of their teacher stomping over. On her heels was a very pissed off Cupcake. Of course someone got Cupcake to tell on her. Oh was she ever going to get an earful from Jamie now.

* * *

Shadows stretched away from the collection of toys underneath Sophie's bed. They twisted and amassed on her wall, shying away from the rays of moonlight that escaped through her curtains. The girl always did her best to make her room welcoming, always unplugging her nightlight once her mother tucked her in and keeping the moonlight out best as possible. She was a fool to think her acceptance of his presence would end well for her.

From the outline on the wall, Pitch emerged next to her bed. Appearances in this child's room no longer drew the Sandman from his duties to investigate. Of all the places in the world, Pitch was freest from Guardian eyes in the bedroom of one of their pet children. The irony was astounding, but Pitch knew such would not be the case if any Guardian besides the Sandman knew of his… relations with the girl.

Pitch would never call their understanding a _friendship_. The girl never saw him. The only confirmation she had that he even existed were the empty coffee mug and plate when she left him treats. It was sporadic, her treats for him. Sometimes she wanted things, such as a friend to be free from bad dreams. He had been particularly angry at that request. Even if he were back in full swing, giving children nightmares, a stupid girl's offering would not deter him from what he wanted to do.

But sometimes she left him treats for no reason other than to hope he was under her bed as she spoke into the darkness. She confided her worries, the smallest of fears she confessed no one else knew about. Her trust and faith in the darkness confused Pitch. It was his confusion that lured him back to the sickeningly pink bedroom whenever he felt the tickle of a tray on the edge of his domain beneath her bed. He wanted to figure out the mystery of the strange child.

And yet as he stared at the child's dream play out and knew what he had to do, he felt… guilt? It was preposterous. The Nightmare King, feeling guilty for doing exactly what he existed to do. But, the girl was tainted by Frost's dangerous life mission of _fun_. Everything was fun. There was no room for fear and that was _dangerous_.

He watched Sophie's dream for a bit. Her sand figure climbed a tree, higher and higher she climbed. It almost seemed like an endless climb, but she did eventually reach the top. She started to jump around celebratory, without a second thought for the height she was at. Yes, the child was careless and plagued by Frost's stupidity. Pitch tapped the dreamsand child, watched with a small frown as black slowly infected the glittering gold.

Leaps of joy turned deadly as she logically lost her footing on such thin branches. And she fell. The branches cut her skin much worse than her scrapes from earlier. Her limbs could not handle the battering and broke. The descent was painful and gruesome. She landed on the ground, barely able to breathe, let alone move. The blackened scene changed. Her little body was surrounded by machines. She was covered with bandages and needles, a mask covered her face to help her breathing. Friends and family stood around her bed, crying and praying for her life. If only she had been more careful, more _fearful_, she would have spared them the pain of seeing her suffer.

The sleeping child curled around her stuffed bunny, her face twisted in anguish. A small sob escaped her lips as she shook her head, murmuring small protests under her breath. Some semblance of a smile pulled back Pitch's lips, revealing pointed teeth. It had been some time since he tasted such raw fear from such a brave child.

If there was a small ache in his chest as he melted into the shadows once more, Pitch would never acknowledge it. He would not miss the treats from a confusing little girl, even if they were almost enjoyable while they lasted.

* * *

"Sophie, please tell me you're not going to try climbing that tree again," Jamie hissed once their mother's back turned. He had promised to keep her playground adventure a secret from their mother as long as Sophie promised not to climb tall trees without him or Jack ever again.

She had casually accepted his conditions the day before, but Jamie knew she had no intentions of actually keeping her promise. Sophie was the worst at lying; her eyes always gave her away and her eyes had been full of adventure.

She winced and placed a hand over her heart, looking up through her hair with a look of pain, or was that fear? "No, I don't think I'll try going to the top again… I forgot Jack wasn't around to catch me if I fall from that high up…"

Jamie was taken aback, almost dropped his toast in his shock. He knew she was not lying. She could not make her eyes lie, but he could not help but stare at her and try to find some sign of deception. There was only a genuine frown on her face as she picked at her cooling waffles.

"Yeah," he laughed, reaching across the table to ruffle her hair. "Exactly what I've been trying to tell you, Soph. But, hey, we'll get him to climb that tree with us next time he visits, yeah? So cheer up!"

Sophie mustered a small smile and nodded in agreement. "That'd be nice."

Jamie raised his brows, curious as to what caused such a drastic change in his sister's behavior. "What made you see reason?"

She shrugged, her gaze wandering off to stare at the dark crack of their pantry. "I dunno," she mumbled. "Just a dream…"

* * *

_And I'm open for requests/suggestions/prompts what not for this collection. I only have so many ideas and I'd love to continue for however long you guys want :3_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks to HarunoYuki  
_

* * *

A note accompanied his nighttime treat. That was a first.

It had been almost two months since Sophie left her first gift. There had been a total of nineteen trays left on her floor, excluding the current one that Pitch stared at. He had been sure the sixteenth tray had been the last, for it was the one before he gave her a much needed nightmare. When tray seventeen tickled his awareness several nights after her nightmare, Pitch had been in disbelief. The child continuously surprised and confused him.

He kept count of her offerings. There had to be a magic number where she grew bored of talking to an unresponsive darkness or her precious Guardians reminded her he was the _bad guy_. Each night that the promise of bitter coffee and not too sweet cookies lured him to the pink room he expected to be his last. Yet whenever another tray brought him back, Pitch was unable to say if he was glad or annoyed, if only because he would have to continue his count.

Of the nineteen nights Sophie called him to her room, she never tired to reach out more than her endless ramblings. But now the game had changed and there was a note, no a letter, on pink lined paper addressed to him sitting next to his plate of biscotti. Pitch almost reached out to grab the note, when the mattress above creaked as the girl moved to turn off her nightlight. He had almost forgotten she was there. Cursing his impulsive stupidity, Pitch retreated further into the darkness under her bed. Without Sophie's mindless prattle filling the room, he had forgotten she was awake.

For the first of now twenty nights, Sophie lay quiet. She tossed and turned, attempting to find a comfortable position to sleep, but spoke not a word. The silence was unnerving; it did not help his growing curiosity over the note. For once, Sanderson's golden glow was a blessing as it pulled the girl into a deep peaceful sleep.

Pitch snatched the note from the tray and materialized in the safety of his lair, not wanting to chance the girl waking as he read the letter in her room. Her writing was blocky and disciplined, obvious thought went into the forming of each word. '_Dear Mr. Boogey Man_,' she began and Pitch let an abrupt laugh escape before he could control his expression. He steeled himself and sat, forcing a scowl in place of the threatening smile. The Boogey Man did not find amusement out of letters from little girls that _should_ be scared of him.

'_Dear Mr Boogey Man,_

_ Miss Piat teached us about riting letters in class and told us to rite one to somone we don get to talk to alot. Since you never talk to me I thot you wuld rite to me insted! Are you shy Mr. Boogey Man? Kari Ann that sits at my table is super shy so she never talks! I hope you are enjoying your coffee and biscoty becus you never leeve any behind! I like talking to you Mr. Boogey Man but I wish you wuld talk back becus I cant relly say your my frend if you never talk back! So Im inviting you to a tea party so then we wuld relly be frends!_

_Sincerly,_

_Sophie!_

_PS dont forget to rite back!'_

Such atrocious spelling. Pitch smirked as he dropped the letter on the floor. What was the point of writing letters if the teacher did not use the chance to educate the children on basic spelling? He knew the girl was not being taught common sense in her class, at least she could be taught how to spell properly. A tea party with the Nightmare King? The girl surely had been dropped as an infant.

He returned to the pink room long enough to make sure no food would go to waste, but he left no response next to the empty plate. Perhaps this would finally make the child stop bothering him. He did not wish to have a friendship, especially not with a silly little girl.

It came as no surprise that another attempt of communication accompanied the tray of treats several nights later. Several blank sheets of pink lined paper sat next to the plate, a post-it note was stuck to the top paper. '_Miss Piat says it takes peple a few days to send letters back but I thot you might just not have anything to rite on! Hope to have tea soon! Sincerly, Sophie!'_

He ignored the paper.

Several nights later, she tried again in an almost subtle attempt to draw a response from him. She asked what his favorite kind of tea was. Persistent to get Pitch to agree to a tea party with her, Sophie continued to leave little notes and paper for him. How she was able to come up with so many questions related to tea and tea parties, Pitch could never guess.

Pitch knew he could easily ignore the girl. All he had to do was leave her offerings untouched, along with her silly notes. But he convinced himself that he simply could not bring himself to leave good food to waste.

'_What is your favorit animal? Sincerly, Sophie!'_

The question caught Pitch off guard. Of the past six trays accompanied by notes, the girl never strayed from trying to trick him into indirectly accepting her tea party invite. Before he registered what he was doing, Pitch scribbled a quick response, and then retreated with his biscotti in hand.

'_Horses_.'

It was another two weeks—not that he was counting—before a tray called him back to her room. The first thing he was aware of was the plastic table normally by Sophie's window was now positioned a few feet away from the designated spot for his treats. He realized, after eyeing the table, that the room was far too silent, even by Sophie's new standard of not talking to him. She was not in the room.

As if summoned by his realization, the girl slipped through the small opening of her door with a second tray in her hands. She placed her tray on the table and ran across the room to her corner of toys. Pitch almost laughed as he realized her second tray held a tea set and cookies. Did she really believe he would join her for a tea party just because she had it set up? Stupid child.

"I'm so glad you all could join me for tea!" She whispered as she returned to the table, arms laden with a peculiar assortment of stuffed animals. One by one, she seated her guests. Pitch sneered as the odd collection made sense.

There was a stuffed rabbit with markings painted to his fur; a makeshift boomerang was strapped to his back. A yellow dinosaur was covered in golden glitter that fell off on everything it touched. A Santa Claus toy was modified and decorated to leave no doubt as to _which _version of Santa it meant to be. Covered in colorful craft feathers, a fairy doll joined the party. Finally, she seated a plainly dressed doll with messy white yarn sewn into his head.

It appeared Pitch had been giving her intelligence too much credit, for surely she was even more lacking in sense than he thought if she truly believed he would join the Guardians for a tea party, toys or not.

"Oh, someone is late to the party!" The girl laughed, though was careful to keep her volume low so not to wake her brother or mother. She turned to her bed and Pitch's insides froze. He had not spoken aloud had he? Surely she did not know he was there, watching from beneath her bed. He almost fled, but Sophie spared no thought to check under her bed as she grabbed something from her pillows.

What she had retrieved was hidden from view until she took her own seat and placed a stuffed black horse in the remaining empty chair next to her. It seemed that she would have him at her tea party whether he agreed to it or not. Persistent brat.

Pitch realized, after several minutes of watching the girl play out a tea party with her Guardians and Mr. Boogey Man, that he was smiling. He fought down the bubbling emotions that pulled at his lips with rationalization. Of course he enjoyed this display because the girl's Guardians would throw a fit over his representation in her play. Just imagining their faces was enough to make him laugh.

In fact, he was annoyed with the girl. He most certainly was not pleased with her stubborn denial of the fact he clearly did not want to be her friend or go to her tea parties. Additionally, he would have to wait quite some time until she went to sleep and by then his coffee would be cold. It was quite inconsiderate of her.

However, it would be much easier to sneak biscotti from the tray than the coffee mug. So, he stayed if only to be certain when she went to sleep so he could enjoy his coffee. Her side glances and knowing grins were ignored as the plate slowly became empty. When she finally retired for the night, Pitch could not fight his smile. She chose his toy to fall asleep with. There was no reason to fight his smile, he concluded as he drank his room temperature coffee. Eventually Frost or her brother would take notice of her new favored toy and he took delight in picturing their reaction. And, perhaps, he was the tiniest bit touched by the sentiment. But just the tiniest bit.

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_Also I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed the past three chapters! I can't believe I've forgotten to express my thanks to those I haven't replied to. All your feedback is much appreciated! _


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you so much for all the reviews everyone! They really encourage me! I'm so glad you're enjoying my story :3_

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"So I saw the coolest thing in the Himalayas and-" Jack stopped mid-sentence and halfway through Jamie's window. The pair stared at each other, frozen in place until Jack burst into laughter, falling the rest of the way inside to roll around on Jamie's floor, howling hysterically.

Trance broken, Jamie flushed bright red as he tried his best to keep some composure while dressed in a frilly purple tutu and a glittery tiara. The wooden sword hanging from his waist only made the getup more ridiculous. He crossed his arms, lips pursed in an embarrassed pout. "Sophie wanted to have a princess tea party and Cupcake couldn't come over. Shut up."

Jack rolled into a crouch, leaning against his staff with a giant grin. "Well Princess Jamie, you look adorable. What's with the sword?"

He drew his sword with a proud smile. "She agreed to let me be a princess knight at least. I almost ended up being a fairy princess."

"Wings would go better with the tutu," Jack snorted. He jumped to his feet and twirled around to face the window. "Since you're busy, I'll come back later to-"

"Jack!"

He winced at the greeting and turned in time to catch Sophie as she leaped at him for a hug. "Hey kiddo, I was just leaving so-"

"Oh no, Jack you have to stay for the tea party now that you're here!" Jamie chimed in before Sophie could demand the same. All traces of embarrassment were gone with revenge in sight.

Sophie beamed and nodded in agreement. "You can be Princess Jack the Frost Fairy! Tea parties are more fun the more!"

"More the merrier," Jamie corrected.

"Yeah the more the merrier!" She jumped from Jack's arms and grabbed his hand in a death grip. "Stay for tea, Jack?"

It was posed as a question, as an invitation. But Jack knew better. He accepted defeat and set his staff against the wall. "Lead the way Princess Sophie."

A blue tutu and fairy wings later, Jack struggled to find a comfortable way to sit at Sophie's plastic table. Jamie was still small enough to sit without too much trouble, but Jack's long legs made sitting normally impossible. Shooting glares at Jamie, who was snickering at each failed attempt to sit, Jack eventually found the best position if he turned the chair around and straddled it.

As Sophie returned with a tray of tea and cookies, he huffed and rested his chin on the back of the chair. "Sophie, why can't we do this in the kitchen where it's a normal sized table for normal sized people?"

"Because this is a tea party and this is a tea table!" Sophie set down the tray and started serving her guests, who included her Guardian toys minus Jack—after all, she had the real one in attendance. She adjusted her wings and pulled her Mr. Boogey Man horse into her lap as she sat.

Jack's gaze zeroed in on the black horse. He glanced to Jamie, but he paid no mind to the new addition to Sophie's toy collection. Frowning, Jack took a cautious sip of tea before asking, "So when did Black Beauty join the gang?

The kids stared at him in confusion until he nodded to the stuffed horse. Sophie broke into a smile and hugged the toy. "This isn't Black Beauty silly! This is Mr. Boogey Man!"

Again, Jack looked to Jamie for guidance, but the boy just shrugged. How could he possibly see nothing wrong with this? "Why is Mr. Boogey Man at your tea party? Why do you even have a doll for that as- jerk? You do realize he almost killed Sandy and almost took over the world with darkness? I know you were pretty young, but Soph we kinda have made it clear he's a bad guy."

Sophie hugged her toy even tighter as she glared across the table. "Well maybe he's sorry for what he did because he was just lonely! He doesn't have any friends! So he's invited to my tea parties!"

"Are you serious? Sophie he's dangerous!"

"Jack," Jamie hissed, kicking his friend in warning. "I've tried. You're just going to upset her."

"Well Pitch would do more than upset her! Sophie has he ever tried to speak to you?" He clenched his fists, trying to keep his cool, but it was hard when he was ready to run out and hunt Pitch down right at that moment.

"No," she sighed in disappointment.

Jack forced himself to breathe evenly. This was all Sophie's crazy imagination then. "Well let's hope it stays that way," he muttered, but quickly cursed himself for voicing the thought as Sophie's frown only grew. He downed the rest of his tea and held the cup out to her with a giant smile. "Princess Sophie I would love some more tea!"

She brightened a tad as she poured his tea. Jamie took lead and changed the subject once he got a refill. "Hey so tonight is movie night. Wouldn't it be cool if Jack stayed to join us, Soph?"

All traces of her frown disappeared at the suggestion. She nodded excitedly, bouncing some in her seat. "Yeah! You should totally stay tonight, Jack! Jamie! Jamie! Tell him what we're watching!"

Practically bursting with pride, Jamie set his tea down. "I finally convinced Mommy to let me watch another horror movie!"

Jack could not help the smirk at the memory of Jamie's first horror movie. He had gone over to Monty's for a sleepover and they had snuck one of the horror movies from his dad's movie collection. Neither was able to sleep peacefully for a week. "Good job, but what's this 'we' I hear? Jamie just watched his first horror movie last year, Sophie!"

Jamie snorted. "Yeah Mommy gave up trying to convince Sophie she has to wait until she is old enough. She said that Sophie's in need of a good scare."

"She's a smart lady," Jack grumbled. Sophie 'fed' her Pitch horse a cookie, and Jack felt like freezing some waves or maybe Pitch's face. Bunny was not going to be happy once he caught word of this development.

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Fear invigorated Pitch. While belief made him tangible and visible, it was fear that kept him alive. It constantly coursed through his being, and in his omnipresent way, he knew exactly what happenstance contributed to which beat of life: a mother's fleeting fear stemmed from surprise when her children burst from the laundry hamper to scare her, a businessman's racing heart as he noticed a dark figure following him down an alley, the constant pulse of fear of those that lived in desolate situations. No doubt, he could spend the rest of his existence living off the natural fear of the world. But when he created fear, the lethargic rhythm of life became a rush of energy and it gave him _purpose_.

That being said, it took a lot to surprise the rule of fear itself. So when Pitch found himself staggering to his knees at the sudden rush of tantalizing _fear_ when he had in fact been wandering within his lair, to say he was surprised would be an understatement.

Despite knowing exactly where the sudden and intoxicating rush originated from, Pitch doubted his knowledge. It seemed so preposterous, but that fit perfectly within the surroundings of that child. Everything she did was simply ridiculous.

The living room was dark, giving Pitch plenty of freedom to move about. He had known the source of Sophie's sudden flare of fear, but not the situation. She sat between the boy and Frost, and the eerie glow of the television was the only source of light to illuminate their faces. The boy clung to his sister as if to comfort her, but was really hugging her to better hide his eyes from the screen. Frost sprawled across his half of the sofa in a way that should not have been possible for one so gangly. One arm was draped around both kids, holding them close so he could comfort the terrified boy without embarrassing him.

And then there was Sophie, the obnoxious brat that had a knack for making Pitch do strange things that were rather out of character for him; like accept treats from a little girl or instantly investigate when said little girl was scared. Her eyes were glued to the television screen, expression alternating from the smallest of twitches between a grimace and a smile.

Pitch almost immediately left. The strange surge of fear had been a fluke. He was still rusty with his powers, especially with the new approach to his title he was forced to take after his defeat. This would not be the first time his senses acted up. It was a sign of change, nothing to concern himself with. And then Pitch found himself filled with the potent rush of terror once more. He almost materialized from the shadows from the sheer force of it.

On the screen, the killer was after his second target. The boy tried to keep his eyes shut, but had to keep peeking at the screen because the darkness behind his eyelids was scarier than seeing what was happening. He clung to Sophie like a lifeline. The grimace won over the smile as she hugged her brother just as tightly. Frost, however, had a brilliant smile lighting up his face as he watched.

As the killer chopped off the screaming teen's head and the kids joined in the screaming, Frost burst into hysterical laughter. "Look at how fake that looks! Ahahaha look at the blood spurting out!"

As sudden as it began, the rush of fear ended as Sophie started laughing with Frost. Her fear, that intoxicating and powerful fear, was gone in a blink due to Frost's infuriating fun, and it left Pitch reeling.

For the remainder of the movie, Pitch lurked in the shadows. The strength of Sophie's fear remained constant thus continued to take Pitch by surprise when it hit. It should have lessened. She was not experiencing real terror; her fear was a mere mockery of the fear Pitch lived off of each day, and yet this mockery filled him with more energy than he could remember. It defied all logic, but that was the ongoing pattern with this child.

He followed the group upstairs as Jack put the children to bed. The boy was obviously shaken from the movie and Pitch grinned, excited to contribute to the natural nightmares that would occur in his sleep.

"So who is the Guardian for tonight?" Frost asked, picking up his doll from the pile hopefully.

Sophie giggled and hugged her horse that had been in her arms the entire movie. "Yup!"

The scowl Frost responded with brought a malicious grin to Pitch's lips. So her favoritism was known and tolerated. Interesting.

Frost sighed and dropped his doll in the pile of toys. "Sophie, shouldn't Sandy be your Guardian tonight? He's real good at fighting off nightmares. It doesn't seem too smart to have Pitch when you just watched a horror movie."

"I'm not scared!" Sophie laughed, wiggling beneath her covers. "Mr. Boogey Man won't give me any nightmares unless I need them!"

"That's- he-" Frost groaned and ran his hands through his hair, visibly giving up before he upset her. "Yeah, sure, Sophie. Sleep tight kiddo, see you around."

"Can we expect you to come Trick-or-Treating with us on Halloween?"

"Of course. Now I'm going to try to convince Jamie that Jason is not going to kill him in his sleep. Too bad everyone can't be as brave as you, Sophie." He laughed and ruffled her hair before leaving the room.

Sophie curled into her stuffed animal and peeked over the edge of her bed. "Good night Mr. Boogey Man!"

Pitch watched from her closet, not bothering to fight the grin remaining on his face. If he were lucky, he would soon be able to witness the rabbit learning about Sophie's liking for him. How amusing that would be.

Dreamsand filled the room and lulled her to sleep. Pitch hovered over the sparkling scene above her head, but did not taint it. She had not fear the stupid movie, no reason to encourage fearing idiocy. No, he needed to find something better to scare this special child with. He did not know why her fear held such potency, and he did not care. He did care, however, about how create that powerful fear himself.

He may have found his ticket to his former power.

* * *

_Oh dear whatever is going to happen next?_


	6. Chapter 6

_A quick oneshot requested by Ao3 user Lebestoile: Jack is trying to comfort Jamie after watching the horror movie_

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Jamie curled into his pillows, trying his best to block out every noise the house made. All of his lights were still on in case a serial murderer tried to get the jump on him in the dark. He had really lucked out when Jack agreed to watch the movie with them. Part of his deal with Mommy for the movie was to put Sophie to bed since they were staying up late. She worked all day Friday, as she did every day of the week, and she usually went to sleep really early to have plenty of energy over the weekend to spend time with them.

At the time, Jamie had not thought much of the agreement. But with the movie over and the dark house waiting for them, Jamie realized what exactly that entailed: going through the house alone. Somehow Jack read his mind and came to the rescue like he always did. He offered to put Sophie to bed and then check on Jamie after.

Only, he was taking a while and Jamie was seriously starting to worry Jason got the two of them. Sophie usually did not take this long to put to bed. He had not heard any screams, so it was unlikely they were attacked, but maybe Jason got the jump on them…

His door creaked as it opened. Jamie jumped up, standing on his bed with the baseball bat he set on his nightstand just in case. Jack popped in with a smirk and his hands in the air defensively. "Don't hit! It's just me!"

Sighing in relief, Jamie collapsed back on his mattress. Blood pounded in his ears and he saw black dots in his vision from changing positions so quickly. "You scared me," he gasped, glaring at his friend.

Jack just laughed and jumped across the room to float gently next to him. "Yeah, I noticed. That movie really got you, huh?"

He shrugged and dropped his bat on the floor. "Soph's all tucked in?"

"Yup! Out like a light! Not a care in the world? For how long has she been sleeping without a nightlight?"

Again, Jamie shrugged in response. They were not too sure how long she had been unplugging it, but Mommy discovered it when Sophie slept in last week. It rather bothered Jamie. He had only recently parted with his own nightlight, and even still he would dig it out every once and a while to plug in again. If kids in school knew, he would be a laughingstock. It was nice that Jack did not think less of him

"So, do you think you're going to be able to go to sleep?" Jack's voice was only concerned, without a hint of judgment, but Jamie could not help but feel ashamed. His little sister had not even thought twice about the movie.

Jamie rolled into his pillows and buried his face. "I wish I was as brave as Sophie."

The smack to the back of his head caught Jamie off guard and he yelped as he rolled away from his attacker. "What was that for, Jack?!"

No playful smirk hid in the Guardian's eyes as he stared intensely at the boy. "You are brave Jamie Bennett. You are the bravest kid I've ever had the honor of being friends with."

"That's not saying much," Jamie mumbled, but instantly regretted it. That had been a low blow. He quickly spoke over it before Jack dwelled on it. "And I'm not brave! I can't even put my little sister-who was completely not afraid by the way!-to bed after watching a dumb movie!"

"You would have if I wasn't here." Jack easily reached across the distance Jamie had made and flicked his nose. "Besides, it's just like you said. Sophie is unafraid. That's not being brave, dummy."

"But-"

"Hey I'll flick you again if you don't like me finish."

Jamie clamped his mouth shut and protectively covered his nose. He nodded, giving Jack permission to continue. Grinning, the winter spirit picked up Jamie's bat. "It's totally reasonable to be afraid of a crazy serial killer, but you're read to fight in case he shows up. You may be afraid, but that doesn't make you any less of a person. It makes your bravery all the more important, because you're willing to push your fear aside to do what you need to.

"It's okay that you get scared of things! There's a lot of scary things in the world and sometimes they can hurt you, but only if you let fear control you and stop you from thinking. It takes a lot of bravery to look something scary in the face and not let your fear control you to stop you from doing the smart thing."

"Yeah, but, Sophie isn't afraid of anything and-"

Jack swiftly flicked Jamie's forehead since his nose was still covered. "And look at how much trouble she's been getting in lately! Jamie, you should know better than anyone there's only one thing you can defeat by not fearing it."

For a moment, Jamie was confused, but his eyes quickly lit with understanding. "Fear! Pitch! We were able to beat him because we stopped being afraid of him! And then he had no more power!"

Grinning, Jack rolled off Jamie's bed. "Exactly, kiddo. You're the one who made it possible to beat fear itself. If you can do that, you can do anything. But," he tossed the baseball bat to him. "Other things you have to overcome with means other than simply not fearing them."

Jamie finally matched Jack's grin. "Like with a bat!"

Jack laughed and hugged the boy goodbye. Before flying out into the night, Jack turned a crooked grin to his friend. "Anyways, Jamie, you're crazy if you think there is any way some crazy hockey masked killer could ever get in this house to hurt the Guardians' favorite believers."

Even with Jack gone, Jamie felt safe. He could not help smiling as he closed his windows. He even turned off his lights and did not have to race back to bed. Jamie Bennett defeated the Nightmare King. Sure, he still got scared sometimes, but he was braver for it. Jack Frost told him so.

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_As always thank you for your lovely reviewers and thank you for continuing to stick with me! This has turned into so much more than I planned. A wild plot appeared out of nowhere and I love it! The next chapter might end up a bit longer than the others have been so far, so bear with me as I get to writing it!_


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